Rickey
Rickey was the 2827th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 45 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 106th with 3,782 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,091 places. More babies were named Rickey in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Ricky) pet form of Richard · English, Germanic
- Rank in 2025
- #2,827 boys, down 695 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 45boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19583,782 babies
- Total since 1880
- 62,391babies recorded
What does the name Rickey mean?
Rickey is a spelling of Ricky, pronounced the same way, so it shares Ricky's meaning and origin.
Ricky is a pet form of Rick, the short form of Richard (and sometimes of Frederick or Ricardo). Richard is a Germanic name, Old High German Rīhhart, from rīc 'ruler, power' and hart 'hard, brave', brought to England by the Normans. It was borne by three English kings, including Richard the Lionheart. Ricky became popular in the 1950s, the era of Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy and singer Ricky Nelson.
rīc (Old High German, “ruler, power”)hart (Old High German, “hard, brave”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Richard, Rick, Ricardo, Rickey.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean strength, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ricky', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Richard', DMNES (Durham University)
Rickey popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 674 since 1928.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,827 | 45 |
| 2020 | #2,132 | 66 |
| 2010 | #1,406 | 119 |
| 2000 | #892 | 176 |
| 1990 | #504 | 382 |
| 1980 | #329 | 576 |
| 1970 | #340 | 561 |
| 1960 | #138 | 2,573 |
| 1950 | #173 | 1,301 |
| 1940 | #1,558 | 20 |
| 1930 | #2,968 | 9 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Rickey, counting every spelling?
Rickey is a spelling of Ricky, a name family that ranked #789 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,827 for Rickey on its own. Together these spellings went to 306 boys in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Rickey?
45 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rickey (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rickey born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 186 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rickey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rickey?
About 46,500 people born in the US named Rickey are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 50 and 70. That makes Rickey a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Rickey by state
How common Rickey was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 47 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rickey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rickey, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Rickey
What does Rickey mean?
Rickey is a spelling of Ricky, which means “pet form of Richard” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rickey?
Rickey was the 2827th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 45 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 106th with 3,782 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,091 places. More babies were named Rickey in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Rickey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Rickey in the US.
Where is Rickey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rickey was most common in Texas (0.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Florida.